British backs too fast, Kiwis waste possession

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33610, 12 August 1974, Page 3

British backs too fast, Kiwis waste possession

From J. O. COFFEY AUCKLAND. Speed of thought as much as speed of foot carried Great Britain to a 20-0 victory over New Zealand in the deciding Rugby league test of the Pall Mall series at Carlaw Park, Auckland, on Saturday.

’• The superior pace of the I. British backs was re--3 sponsible for two quick 1 tries mid-way through the ■ first half, and even after e playing conditions had j deteriorated, L. Dyl and J. '> C. Bevan were too fast for their rivals when scoring - from interceptions. j The decisive defeat was _ also the result of the Kiwis’ r inability to make use of the territorial advantage they j held for much of the match, j At least as many opportunities to register points were created by New Zealand, 5 only to be wasted. Britain’s cover-defence has been very firm throughout j the tour, and the tourists i have not conceded a try in any of their last three ; games But it was greatly ; assisted on Saturday by hesi- ; tant handling, passing, and ’ positioning by the New Zealanders after the first line of ; tacklers had been breached. New Zealand should have led by five points soon after the ; start, but W. K. Johnsen, the ; centre, dropped the ball when in the clear and close to the tryline and the prop, D. K. Mann,

failed to regain his feet quick enough to take one step and force beneath the cross-bar as New Zealand sought to cut into Britain’s 8-0 half-time lead. There were other occasions when New Zealanders, particularly K. L. Stirling and D. A. Williams, broke away in centrefield and were left without support. The performances of the Canterbury wings, M. P. Brereton and E. S. Kerrigan, were hindered by slow delivery of possession which left them comparatively easy targets for the British cover. For much of the second spell Britain was forced back deep on defence. A succession of tap penalties and J. D. Hibbs’s slender 18-17 majority in the hooking duel with J. D, Gray should have provided the foundation for New Zealand to seriously challenge Britain. VERSATILE Two of Britain's finest backs— P. Chariton (injured ribs when tackling the bustling Brereton) and S. Nash (cut forehead) — had to be assisted from the field In as many minutes, and it was a tribute to the versatility and professional outlook of the tourists that they were able to move D. Willicombe to full-back and C. Dixon from the pack to the centres without disrupting their over-all pattern. The Kiwis almost immediately launched their two most promising combined passing rushes, moving the ball across the field twice. Britain’s rearranged side might well have cracked under the pressure, but it responded

; just as effectively, and the slim I hopes that New Zealand still held i were dashed. i Britain had been required to guard its own try-line for most i of the opening quarter, before capitalising on the better footing along the terrace touch-line to slip eight points ahead. C. Hesketh, the British captain and stand-off half, was placed into a gap by E. Chisnail, and the Kiwi full-back, W. R. Collicoat, hesitated momentarily and could manage only to reach Hesketh as he touched down. The impressive British centre, L. Dyl, retraced Hesketh’s steps —with even more speed—three minutes later and sent Bevan over for the first of his two tries. ERRORS New Zealand forced its way back into Britain’s 22-metre area by physical strength and the kicking of Williams. But there was not enough variation or individual penetration to transgress the vital last 10 metres or so, and the sorties were brought to a halt by the fourth tackle or an error that conceded possession. Britain seldom emerged from its own half in the final 40 minutes yet it was able to add a further 12 points. Gray was accurate with a penalty when M. K. Eade was cautioned for a high tackle, and loose passing provided Dyl — and then Bevan — with comfortable interceptions. D. J. Gailey was guilty of the first such mistake, lobbing the ball to Dyl to give the centre an 85 metre sprint to score. The replacement back, R. J. Jarvis, offered a similar chance to Bevan 65 metres out. Both times Collicoat had joined his backs on attack and was out of position. Although the penalty count favoured New Zealand, 16-4, the coach of the British team (Mr J. Challinor) said that he had “no grumbles” about the refereeing of Mr J. Percival. "TEAM EFFORT" “It was a fine team effort; playing good football in the first 25 minutes while the ground was still reasonable. We went out to counteract the refereeing as well as the Kiwis, and there was no arguing. Mr Percival did not cane us — lie was quite fair,” Mr Challinor said. Mr G. Menzies, the New Zealand coach, conceded that Britain deserved its series win because of the far better use it made of the ball. Not all the honours were taken by the tourists, though. The Kiwi scrum-half and captain, Stirling, was judged to be the “player of the match,” for his magnificent defence and ceaseless efforts to put more, life into the Kiwis’ offensive by personal example and leadership. MORE THRUST Collicoat handled all of the tactical kicks played by Gray,

’confidently and regained much ground with his elusiveness. There was also greater thrust i in the back-line after Jarvis substitute!? for Johnsen—who had a most unhappy 52 minutes—and Williams shifted from stand-off to the centres. The outstanding New Zealand forward was undoubtedly J. Greengrass, who twice saved tries by catching Willicombe, fulfilling his characteristic role as a great cover-defender Eade and W. R. Robertson were also stern tacklers around the rucks, without having the pace to range across to support the three-quarters Until he suffered an eye injury and was replaced bv W. P. Gurnick 23 minutes 'from the end, Mann had joined with Hibbs to contain the British front-rowers in the tight, but Gailey marred his display with poor passing Bevan, Willicombe, and Dyl continually troubled the Kiwis when given a few metres to muster speed, and Chisnail. G. Nicholls, and Dixon provided such situations by running strongly to draw the New Zealand loose forwards and some of the backs from the British three-quarters. BIG NEED New Zealand has a desperate need to improve its attacking resources—and a muddy Carlaw Park is hardly the setting to develop penetrative players. Breakdowns when in possession not only cost this Kiwi team an even chance of taking the series; it also had the unenviable distinction of being the first New Zealand side to be held scoreless since tests with Britain began in 1907. Tries for Britain were scored by Bevan (22min and 68min), Hesketh (19min). and Dyl (49min), and Gray included a side-line conversion in his four goals from five attempts. Collicoat missed two penalties in the first half.